Maybe it’s just that you don’t realize how important commenting on other blogs is to traffic growth.

Today I’m going to teach you how a Blog Comment Strategy can Drive Consistent Traffic Growth

But first let’s talk about HOW to properly leave a blog comment:

(This is the standard blog comment form you’ll see on WordPress blogs. Most comment platforms use a similar structure)

1) Enter Name

This is where you put your name. Use your entire name (i.e. I use Ryan Hanley). Make sure that your name is spelled correctly and you use the appropriate capitalization.

This is your first impression to the blog owner and anyone else that reads your comment. If you name is misspelled or not properly capitalized or USES KEYWORDS then there is a very good chance your comment is going to sent to Trash or SPAM and certainly won’t be taken seriously.

2) Enter Email Address

This is where your email goes… Pretty straight-forward… Use an email address you actually check because the blog owner may want to contact you as follow-up to your comment.

3) Enter Blog Link

IMPORTANT – This is your opportunity to place a link back to you website. This is the first page that any potential visitors are going to see. This does not have to be you homepage. I use http://www.RyanHanley.com/Ryan-Hanley/ (which is my About Page) on many blogs I comment on. I do this so that anyone who enjoys my blog comment and wants to find out more about me cab get a good idea of who I am right away.

4) Enter Blog Comment

We’re going to talk about this section more in a minute but inside this big box is where you leave your comment. Keep reading for more on how to leave an awesome comment that generates blog traffic.

5) CommentLuv

On many very cool blogs you will see a CommentLuv button. CommentLuv allows you to add an additional link to your blog comments from your RSS Feed. (Important note, when leaving a comment with CommentLuv use your homepage address in link box from #3 otherwise CommentLuv will not be able to pull your RSS Feed)

6) You’re Not a Spammer

Most blogs will have some sort of SPAM protection and you will need to check off that you are NOT a Spammer. On this blog I use Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin.

7) Additional Options and Features

Many blogs will offer individuals who leave a blog comment additional options or features. Options include subscribing to comments, receiving a free information product or subscribing to blog updates. Check them off if you wish.

Just Be Awesome Blog Comment

When it comes to generating consistent traffic growth your blog comment strategy is no different than SEO or social media… It’s all about adding value and being awesome!

I hope you weren’t reading this for some link building strategy…

If so, I’m about to disappoint you.

Just Be Awesome Blog Commenting isn’t about link building…

…it’s about VALUE BUILDING.

Blog comments afford you the opportunity to quickly and easily spread your valuable ideas and expertise throughout the Internet. | Click to Tweet

Most of us don’t have time to Guest Post on a consistent basis.

But it takes a faction of the time to blog comment.

Blog Comment Garbage

Do NOT… PLEASE DO NOT just write “Great Post” or “Good Stuff” and move on.

Know what I do with comments that start and finish with “Great Post” or “Good Stuff”?

TRASH!

Yup… I put the garbage where it belongs… in the TRASH!

Why do “Great Post” and “Good Stuff” comments go in the trash?

Because they’re worthless. That comment which took NO THOUGHT… Adds NO VALUE to my blog.

As a blog commentor you have the same responsibility to add value to my blog with your comment as I do with my blog post.

Let that thought sink in for minute.

You have a RESPONSIBILITY to add value with your Blog Comment… | Click to Tweet

or…

…your blog comment deserves to be thrown in the garbage.

How to Add Blog Comment Value

How do we get our blog comments noticed?

Easy… add value.

Here are five of many ways to add value through a blog comment:

Put thought into what you’re saying

Add personal experience to blog topic

Ask blog author questions

Consistently contribute

Reply to other commentors directly

How hard do any of the concepts seem?

Not hard right?

#1 – Put thought into what you’re saying

It seems crazy that you would actually have to put thought into your comment… I know you just want the link back to your website. But Just Be Awesome Blog Commenting is about building consistent traffic growth and build consistent traffic growth through blog commenting by writing comments that people react to.

If you leave a valuable awesome comment on another blog every one who reads through the comments of that blog post (and more people do than you would think) is going get a little taste of just how awesome you are…

And want more!

#2 – Add personal experience to blog topic

A big part of Just Be Awesome Blog Commenting is connecting with the blog owner. There is nothing that a blogger loves more to know his/her writing is connecting with readers on a personal level.

We’re directly addressing the blog authors ego with this one. When you ask questions in the comment section the blog author gets to further demonstrate their expertise in the comment section and they will love you for that.

This is another way that relationships are born…

#4 – Consistently contribute

Commenting on a blog and never returning is going to get you nowhere. Consistently showing your face on a blog and adding value to the community shows that you care and are invested in the content. People will notice this… And want to know more about you.

#5 – Reply to other commentors directly

This is one that I have had so much success with I almost didn’t include it because of how powerful a traffic builder it can be… Let me explain.

You read a blog comment that is very well written and well thought out. You then reply to that comment (you don’t leave a new comment with RE: or @ and the person’s name) directly adding to their thoughts or asking the blog commentor a question.

This creates a blog comment chain and as people add comments each comment gets indented farther which in turn draws the attention of more commentors because they see a valuable conversation taking place and want to be a part of it.

The blog owner loves all the attention and so does the commentor you replied to and they all want to know more about YOU!

The Rub

I’ve done a very unofficial test of how long it takes me to read an average blog post and write a well thought out response in the comments… ~5 minutes on average.

If it takes you two hours to write a well thought out blog post… That’s 120 minutes… Technically, you could 24 well thought out blog comments in the same amount of time. In reality it would probably be less but you get the point…

You can hit more communities in the same amount of time.

Finding quality blogs to comment on is another question I get…

I use Google RSS Reader to track ~35 blogs I find to be awesome. This tool allows me to easily scan these blogs for posts I want to read and comment on.